The new era of adornment calls for fine jewelry that's fresh, modern, and all about you.

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Shop the Story

In jewelry, as in love, it's different when it's real. But while the qualities behind good relationships are as enduring as the meaning of a Cartier Trinity ring (love, fidelity, friendship), what women want from jewelry is evolving. "Women are trying to find a different way to wear fine jewelry, where it's not just the statement watch, the statement bracelet, and diamond studs," says jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher. Instead, designers like Fisher, Eva Zuckerman of Eva Fehren, Ana Khouri, Irene Neuwirth, Jennifer Meyer, Hoorsenbuhs's Robert Keith, Gaia Repossi, and Anita Ko are energizing the genre with pieces that are more than future heirlooms: From ear-climbing earrings to sleek modern bangles, they are a chance to express your style every day, no matter the dress code.

Why now? Though bold costume baubles and quick hits of high-street sparkle abound, the real jewelry we long for is about daily luxury, personalization, and long-term value. "It was important to me to do something timeless that can be passed on from generation to generation," says Zuckerman, whose geometric lines and unorthodox materials (think gray diamonds and petrified wood) merge in covetable contemporary pieces sold at Barneys New York. She creates many of her designs with the idea that they may be stacked and combined according to the wearer's wishes. "It's interesting for women to be able to make their own story with the jewelry rather than being told what to wear."

For some that means wearing one of Repossi's hinged Berbère rings on every finger or just one of Khouri's snakelike full-hand designs. Khouri, a former art student, takes a sculpture-based approach to jewelry, creating ivy-inspired "hand bracelets" that creep around the palm and propose the back of the hand as an area for adornment. "It gives people another way of thinking about jewelry," she says. Designers are also connecting the dots on the ear, where the new way to wear fine jewelry is all the way up. The fresh crop of cuffs and intricate climbers is the antithesis of so many dangly, jangly drop earrings. Ko's pavé diamond cuffs snuggle into the ear so exquisitely that some clients stack three or four per side. "I love how they look with my hair up, worn together with my spike diamond studs or triangle studs," says Ko. Other options include Fisher's diamond-bar double earring ("Women want to wear fine jewelry in a delicate yet edgy way," she notes) and the Tasaki cuffs that Thakoon Panichgul showed with his Fall 2013 collection. The shape of the pearl- and diamond-adorned vines "felt younger and fresher," Panichgul says, "especially when we're using expensive and precious materials."

Those on the lookout for more drama can find it in a single sensational piece. Neuwirth's large-scale moonstone pendants and Mexican fire opal earrings radiate luxury with an earthy, bohemian spirit. When it comes to Maiyet's architectural diamond cuffs and shoulder-sweeping, diamond-inlaid bone earrings, the brand's focus on ethical production amplifies the arresting beauty. Of course, you can never go wrong with a classic. Hermès's Chaîne d'Ancre bracelet, Tiffany's Elsa Peretti Bone cuff, Cartier's Love bracelet, Bulgari's B.zero1 range, and Ralph Lauren's Chunky Chain bracelet are as fresh as they are iconic, and they top the list of established designs that women are craving now. Cartier's Juste un Clou, the sleek nail bangle Aldo Cipullo designed in 1971, has practically flown out of its velvet-lined cases since its relaunch in April 2012. "Ooh, I want that Cartier nail bracelet so badly," Lisa Marie Fernandez, the stylist and swimwear designer, says with a sigh. "It's so '70s, it's so simple, it's so fine. That bracelet in the sun, with a crisp white button-down shirt—that's the next thing I have to get."

That Fernandez should lust after a 42-year-old design is no surprise. The modern way to wear jewelry is a matter of combining: classic with contemporary, costume with high-end, diamonds with silver. "Women should celebrate what they have in their jewelry wardrobe," says Lulu Frost designer Lisa Salzer, who created an 18-karat-gold bracelet styled on a '40s watchband to mark the 10th anniversary of her brand. "It's all about mixing that expensive fine piece with your everyday trend jewelry, and that's how you change your look, by layering pieces from both sides together."

It's an approach that comes naturally to Sara Ojjeh, Michael Kors's corporate philanthropy coordinator. Each day she wears a Rolex Daytona, a rose-gold Tiffany Elsa Peretti Diamonds by the Yard bracelet and white-gold necklace, multicolored Shamballa bracelets, diamond studs, and two Eva Fehren rings. Ojjeh discovered Zuckerman's designs at one of the first Eva Fehren trunk shows and later treated herself to the rose-gold-and-champagne-diamond X ring. "There's something about it that's so feminine and at the same time so not-your-mother's jewelry," says Ojjeh. Another client chose the X ring as a divorce gift to herself, Zuckerman recalls: "She wanted to feel powerful, so she bought it for her ring finger."

The best part of the new jewelry may be just that: the freedom to set your own agenda without waiting for anyone else. Buying yourself fine jewelry rather than lingering in anticipation of a gift can be empowering. "I love that I got that ring for myself," Ojjeh says. "I wear it every day, and it's a reminder of my independence and everything that has happened since." It's self-affirmation—with sparkle.